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The Wedding Ceremony

I would like to welcome you here on this happy occasion in which, as a gathering of family and friends, we witness and celebrate the marriage of Ben and Sarah.

We are here to celebrate the love shared by Sarah and Ben, their joy, their friendship, their commitment to a rich and ever-changing life together.


Let not the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
It is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken.

Our presence here today is a symbol of the bonds of love and friendship which calls us to encourage and support Ben and Sarah in the commitment they make to each other; to help them when they have need of us and to remember them always in our thoughts and prayers.

In joining in marriage, two people experience the blending of their lives. They share joy and sorrow and through their love, loyalty and respect for one another, they create one home. With their commitment to each other and our loving support, Sarah and Ben will be able to have the gift and the blessing of a happy life together.

This ceremony symbolizes the intimate sharing of two lives, yet the sharing must enhance the individuality of each partner. A union that lasts is one in which each person is developing and growing in understanding of the other. By continually sharing feelings and experiences such a union grows in strength and love. For this reason, partners in marriage share not only their joys and successes, but also their sorrows and failures.

Ben and Sarah, your commitment to each other is a serious lifelong responsibility. It is a gift and a blessing as well. It requires each of you to love and respect yourselves and each other. It means you must strive honestly and respectfully to help each other, support each other, laugh with (and at) each other, and watch each other grow. In your time together you will experience joy and contentment as well as sorrow and distress. Seek to deepen your love so that you may face your future together with courage, trust and compassion.


Do you, Ben, take Sarah to be your wife?
BEN: I do.
Do you, Sarah, take Ben to be your husband?
SARAH: I do.

Do you, the parents and family of Sarah and Ben, give them your blessing and offer their union your love, support and understanding?
THEM: We do.


Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half;
Trust God: see all, nor be afraid!"

BEN:

I love you now more than when we first met. As each day passes our relationship finds new depths and my feelings for you grow stronger.

You're the only one to whom I can say that with you, I'm not scared of growing old. Because it's you; simply for that reason. And I admit that I'm not at all tempted to stay alone in such a crazy world.

Because it's you, I could face anything. I could even forgive you just because it's you.

You are my conscience, my strength, my confidence. You give me the courage to pursue my life's ambitions, supporting me when needed, advising me when required, surprising me daily. I love you and I want to spend my life with you.

SARAH:

I had some trouble writing vows that fully express my feelings for you. I started by considering what I love about you, but I realized that I love almost everything about you. I know that you're not perfect, and I know I'm not either, but I can accept your flaws because they're a part of you. I'm honoured that you want to be my husband and spend the rest of your life with me and my idiosyncrasies. I want to be your wife and do the same for you.


You do not need to wear a thing at all
For me to like you and you may talk
Or not talk, I like you either way.
Nothing makes me feel so nearly home on Earth
as to just be with you and say nothing.

Wedding rings are a universal symbol of devotion and unity. In exchanging rings, you are declaring your love and commitment to one another. Let these rings encircle your fingers, as your love does each other.

BEN: You are my beloved and my friend. I give you this ring as a symbol of the love that brought us together, of the vows we have made today, and of all that we will share together.

SARAH: You are my beloved and my friend. I give you this ring as a symbol of the love that brought us together, of the vows we have made today, and of all that we will share together.

Sarah and Ben, you have vowed to be loyal and loving toward each other, formalizing in marriage the bond between you. I now declare you to be husband and wife. May you always be each other's best friend. May you love on another forever. You may kiss.


Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth for the other.
Now you are two people, but with one life before you.
Go now to cherish the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.